Who is arrested the leader of Turkey’s opposition?

Ekrem Imamoglu, the Turkish presidential hope, detained on charges, including corruption and support for a terrorist group, is one of the most popular politicians in the country.

A leading figure in the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and mayor of Istanbul, the 54-year-old has long been regarded as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s most fearsome rival.

He stunned Erdogan and his ruling party for justice and development (AK) when he maintained control of Istanbul at last year’s elections for the municipality, winning a second next term in the largest city in Turkey.

Many political commentators in Turkey have cited this as “Erdogan’s worst defeat ever.”

But the arrest of Imamoglu, who came days before he was selected as a candidateHe prompted CHP to warn of a “coup attempt against the next president.”

Born in 1970 in Akkaabat, a seaside city in the province of Trabson on Turkey on the Black Sea coast, Imamoglu moved to Istanbul as a teenager, studied business and then went to work in the construction industry.

Despite the right, conservative origin of his family, Imamoglu says he “embraced Social Democratic values ​​over his time at university.”

A football enthusiast, like Erdogan himself, Imamoglu was also a lover of his youth and is well known for his support at his local Trabzorsor club. The love of sports is a useful feature for a politician in a football turkey.

After a business career, at the age of 43, he heads to politics and was elected mayor of the Bailikdu area in Istanbul for CHP.

But he was still relatively little known until he fought and won elections for mayor in Istanbul in 2019, which came as a big shock to Erdogan and AK.

Imamoglu faced the immediate challenges of his victory – the electoral authorities canceled the vote and expelled him from office after AK implied irregularities in the vote process. Re -execution is ordered.

After announcing the re -execution, Imamoglu turned to huge crowds of his supporters of rally, removing his jacket and tied, rolled up his sleeves and urging them to focus their energy on victory again.

“Everything will be fine,” he said, who has become his campaign slogan and has been his phrase ever since.

And for Imamoglu “everything is fine” – he provided 54% of the vote with another huge blow to the president.

Now he was beating AK twice in a city that the ruling party and its Islamist predecessors were held for 25 years.

Istanbul is where Erdogan grew up, selling snacks for sesame bread before entering politics in the 1970s. It was here that he rose through the ranks to become mayor, prime minister and ultimately president.

This loss would have stained him personally and hurt his party as well. Istanbul is home to the fifth of Turkey’s population of nearly 85 million and is responsible for a significant part of its economy, including trade, tourism and finance.

Many experts have predicted such a rise in power to Imamoglu after he won a second term in 2024. For many, he became a threat to Erdogan’s grip at Turkey’s best office.

Erdogan provided a third term in the 2023 presidential election and, according to the Constitution, he could not rule after 2028.

But his critics say he can change the constitution to look for another term. The next poll is scheduled for 2028, but it will probably happen earlier.

During his political campaigns, Imamoglu is praised for his soft, humorous approach to politics, which contrasts with that of many rivals in Turkey’s polarized political landscape.

By expanding CHP’s secular base, he was able to appeal to some of the more pious, conservative voters of Turkey, who have traditionally voted for AK by including mosque visits in their election campaigns and recently announced the restoration of a historic mosque in the popular Karakoy region in Istanbul.

His wife Dilek Imamoglu has also become a popular figure with her active presence on social media, participation in charity work for the disabled and performances with her husband during his campaign.

The main elections of the main opposition were scheduled for March 23, which was expected to be elected as its candidate for the presidential vote in 2028.

But his arrest and the cancellation of his degree at the University of Istanbul the previous day, due to suspected irregularities, asked their candidacy.

According to the Turkish constitution, presidents must have completed higher education to hold a position.